2012 Tour Down Under

November 2019 2012 Tour Down Under 2012 UCI World Tour 1 28 17–22 January 2012 6http://www.tourdownunder.com.au/gerrans-seals-fairytale-debut-greenedge.htm Gerrans seals fairytale debut for GreenEDGE Tour Down Under Events South Australia 22 January 2012 26 January 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120317221639/http://www.tourdownunder.com.au/gerrans-seals-fairytale-debut-greenedge.htm 17 March 2012 dead dmy-all 803.3 km 20h 46' 12" Simon Gerrans GEC 2012a Australia orange Alejandro Valverde MOV 2012 Spain Tiago Machado RNT 2012 Portugal Rohan Dennis UniSA-Australia Australia white Edvald Boasson Hagen SKY 2012 Norway blue Rohan Dennis UniSA-Australia Australia black RNT 2012 2011 2013 The 2012 Santos Tour Down Under was the 14th edition of the Tour Down Under stage race. It took place from 17 to 22 January in and around Adelaide, South Australia, and was the first race of the 2012 UCI World Tour. The race was won by Australian Simon Gerrans of the GEC 2012a team, after taking the lead on the penultimate stage of the race and held the race leader's ochre jersey to the finish, the next day, in Adelaide.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/9031049/Tour-Down-Under-2012-stage-six-Simon-Gerrans-hands-GreenEdge-dream-start-with-win-for-WorldTour-new-boys.html Simon Gerrans hands GreenEdge dream start with win for WorldTour new boys The Daily Telegraph Telegraph Media Group 22 January 2012 23 January 2012 Gerrans and runner-up Alejandro Valverde – in his first race since a two-year doping ban expired at the end of 2011 – of the MOV 2012, both finished the race in the same total time, but due to better finishes throughout the week, and despite Valverde winning the race's queen stage at Willunga,http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/531521/valverde-wins-tour-down-under-stage-five-gerrans-in-lead.html Valverde wins Tour Down Under stage five, Gerrans in lead Cycling Weekly IPC Media Limited 21 January 2012 23 January 2012 Gregor Brown Gerrans was awarded overall victory via a tie-break situation.http://www.bmc-racing.com/us-en/team/news/team/kohler-15th-overall-at-santos-tour-down-under.html https://archive.today/20120720083531/http://www.bmc-racing.com/us-en/team/news/team/kohler-15th-overall-at-santos-tour-down-under.html dead 20 July 2012 Kohler 15th overall at Santos Tour Down Under 22 January 2012 23 January 2012 BMC 2012 BMC Trading AG RNT 2012's Tiago Machado completed the podium, eight seconds down on Gerrans. In the race's other classifications, Rohan Dennis of the UniSA-Australia team won the black jersey for the highest placed rider under the age of 26, by placing fifth overall in the general classification, and SKY 2012 rider Edvald Boasson Hagen took home the blue jersey for amassing the highest number of points during stages at intermediate sprints and stage finishes; denying LTB 2012's André Greipel, who won three stages during the week. Dennis also won the King of the Mountains classification, with RNT 2012 yes finishing at the head of the teams classification. Participating teams As the Tour Down Under was a UCI World Tour event, all 18 UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad. Together with a selection of Australian riders forming the UniSA-Australia squad, this formed the event's 19-team peloton. The 19 teams invited to the race were: 22em ALM 2012 AST 2012 BMC 2012 EUS 2012 FDJ 2012 GRM 2012a GEC 2012a LAM 2012 LIQ 2012 OLO 2012 GCE 2012 QST 2012 RAB 2012 LEO 2012 KAT 2012 SAX 2012a SKY 2012 UniSA-Australia VAC 2012 Schedule The route for the race was announced on 13 June 2011.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2012-tour-down-under-route-announced 2012 Tour Down Under route announced Cycling News Future Publishing Limited 13 June 2011 31 December 2011 StageRouteDistanceDateWinner 1 Prospect to Clare149.3 km 1 on Tuesday, 17 JanuaryAndré Greipel GER 2Lobethal to Stirling148 km 1 on Wednesday, 18 JanuaryWill Clarke AUS 3Unley to Victor Harbor134.5 km 1 on Thursday, 19 JanuaryAndré Greipel GER 4Norwood to Tanunda130 km 1 on Friday, 20 JanuaryÓscar Freire ESP 5McLaren Vale to Old Willunga Hill151.5 km 1 on Saturday, 21 JanuaryAlejandro Valverde ESP 6Adelaide to Adelaide90 km 1 on Sunday, 22 JanuaryAndré Greipel GER Stages Stage 1 17 January 2012 — Prospect to Clare, 149.3 km 1 onhttp://www.cyclingnews.com/races/14th-santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-1 Stage 1 Preview 14 June 2011 18 January 2012 Cycling News Future Publishing Limited https://web.archive.org/web/20111122025220/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/14th-santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-1 22 November 2011 dead dmy-all A quartet of riders – UniSA-Australia's Rohan Dennis, VCD 2012 rider Marcello Pavarin, Martin Kohler of BMC 2012 and KAT 2012's Eduard Vorganov – made the early breakaway from the field, and managed to extend their advantage over the main field to in excess of eleven minutes at one point during the stage, which was run in conditions of 40 C.http://www.unisa.edu.au/tdu/news/2012/20120117-stage1.asp Extreme day out but UniSA inspires Team UniSA University of South Australia 17 January 2012 23 January 2012 https://archive.today/20120805173427/http://www.unisa.edu.au/tdu/news/2012/20120117-stage1.asp 5 August 2012 dead dmy-all As such, the riders between them managed to take all sub-classification points on offer during the stage, at both of the intermediate sprints and the single categorised climb at Taylers Run. Their advantage out front dwindled quickly as the peloton – led by SKY 2012, LTB 2012 and GEC 2012a – gathered pace, taking three minutes from the quartet over 20 km 1 on, leaving them with just 90 seconds of a lead out front. LTB 2012 yes lost their attacking impetus at that point after Greg Henderson, one of the lead-out men for André Greipel, crashed and could not recover back to the main field.http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/6272996/Greipel-wins-Tour-stage-Henderson-crashes Greipel wins Tour stage; Henderson crashes Stuff Fairfax Media 18 January 2012 23 January 2012 Reuters With the field closing yet further, Dennis made a solo bid for victory from 15 km 1 on out and was clear by around a minute before eventually being caught several kilometres later, towards the run-in to Clare. After Dennis' team-mate Will Clarke had been closed down after a late counter-attack, the field set up for a bunch sprint into Clare. In the final kilometre, a crash involving numerous riders split the field, with many hitting the ground. Three riders – LTB 2012's Jürgen Roelandts, ALM 2012's Matteo Montaguti and FDJ 2012 rider Frédéric Guesdon – were taken to hospital, along with a spectator who was hit by a rider during the incident.http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/cycling-crash-causes-tour-chaos-20120117-1q4fj.html Cycling crash causes Tour chaos Roger Vaughan The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media 17 January 2012 23 January 2012 Australian Associated Press Greipel was slightly delayed on the run-in but managed to bridge back to the front and managed to out-sprint Alessandro Petacchi (LAM 2012) to the line, and achieved his ninth stage win at the Tour to take the race's first ochre jersey.http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/down-to-business-at-santos-tour-down-under/story-e6frep5o-1226246253805 Andre Greipel turns up the heat in Stage 1 of Tour Down Under The Courier-Mail Queensland Newspapers Val Migliaccio 17 January 2012 23 January 2012 Petacchi finished second, despite being reviewed by race commissaires, after Greipel complained over Petacchi's tactics in the closing stages,http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-1/results Alex Hinds Greipel goes two-straight with photo finish win over Petacchi in Clare 17 January 2012 23 January 2012 Cycling News Future Publishing Limited https://web.archive.org/web/20140123232538/http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-1/results 2014-01-23 dead with Yauheni Hutarovich picking up the remaining bonus seconds on the line for FDJ 2012 yes, finishing third. Greipel was the first leader of the sprints classification, Dennis held the lead of the youth classification, Pavarin held the mountains jersey after leading over the only climb of the day and Vorganov was named most combative rider for the stage. Stage 1 Result RiderTeamTime 1 André Greipel GER LTB 2012 4h 33' 40" 2 Alessandro Petacchi ITA LAM 2012 s.t. 3 Yauheni Hutarovich BLR FDJ 2012 s.t. 4 Fabio Sabatini ITA LIQ 2012 s.t. 5 Daniele Bennati ITA RNT 2012 s.t. 6 Christopher Sutton AUS SKY 2012 s.t. 7 Jonathan Cantwell AUS SAX 2012a s.t. 8 Xavier Florencio ESP KAT 2012 s.t. 9 Mark Renshaw AUS RAB 2012 s.t. 10 Manuel Belletti ITA ALM 2012 s.t.General Classification after Stage 1 RiderTeamTime 1 André Greipel GER 20px20px LTB 2012 4h 33' 30" 2 Alessandro Petacchi ITA LAM 2012 + 4" 3 Martin Kohler SUI BMC 2012 + 4" 4 Yauheni Hutarovich BLR FDJ 2012 + 6" 5 Rohan Dennis AUS 20px UniSA-Australia + 7" 6 Eduard Vorganov RUS 20px KAT 2012 + 8" 7 Marcello Pavarin ITA 20px VCD 2012 + 9" 8 Fabio Sabatini ITA LIQ 2012 + 10" 9 Daniele Bennati ITA RNT 2012 + 10" 10 Christopher Sutton AUS SKY 2012 + 10" Stage 2 18 January 2012 — Lobethal to Stirling, 148 km 1 onhttp://www.cyclingnews.com/races/14th-santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-2 Stage 2 Preview 14 June 2011 18 January 2012 Cycling News Future Publishing Limited https://web.archive.org/web/20111122031221/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/14th-santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-2 22 November 2011 dead dmy-all Just as he had done the previous day, Martin Kohler of BMC 2012 made it into the race's primary breakaway of the day, and was joined again by a rider from the UniSA-Australia team, with Will Clarke – fresh from a late-stage attack the previous day – joining Kohler out front. Clarke and Kohler remained together for just over 60 km 1 on, with Clarke taking maximum points in the categorised climb at Lenswood,http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tour-down-under-stage-2/story-e6frf9if-1226247850744 Jai Bednall Breakaway Aussie William Clarke hangs on for great win 19 January 2012 24 January 2012 Herald Sun The Herald and Weekly Times while Kohler twice bested Clarke at the intermediate sprints during the early running, and with the bonus seconds, it allowed him to move into the virtual lead of the race, as he was only four seconds behind race leader André Greipel (LTB 2012) overnight.http://www.universalsports.com/news-blogs/article/newsid=575477.html William Clarke wins 2nd stage of Tour Down Under 18 January 2012 24 January 2012 Universal Sports InterMedia Partners Associated Press The pair extended their advantage over the peloton to eleven minutes, before Kohler sat up and elected to return to the main field. thumb|UniSA-Australia rider Will Clarke achieved the first victory of his professional career after being at the head of the race for all bar one of the stage's 148 km 1 on. After Clarke had been left on his own, the advantage dropped slightly to around eight minutes but after he had steadied himself for a solo escape, the gap to the main field grew once again. The gap was largely held around the ten-minute mark by the peloton, but extended out to over twelve minutes at one point,http://www.theage.com.au/sport/cycling/clarke-wins-high-praise-20120118-1q6jx.html Rupert Guinness Clarke wins high praise 19 January 2012 24 January 2012 The Age Fairfax Media and by the time Clarke entered the finishing circuit, 21.6 km 1 on in length, at Stirling for the first of three laps, it was back around ten and a half minutes. Several teams – including SKY 2012, RAB 2012 and GEC 2012a – comprising many of the general classification contenders for the Tour, brought their riders towards the front of the main pack in order to try to get the gap to Clarke down to a sustainable level in order to catch him. Clarke remained ten minutes clear as he entered the second lap of the circuit and despite the panic that had set in to the teams in the peloton, he maintained a sufficient amount of energy to continue holding them off.http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-2/results Alex Hinds Tour Down Under turns upside down on brilliant day for UniSA's Clarke 18 January 2012 24 January 2012 Cycling News Future Publishing Limited https://web.archive.org/web/20140123234009/http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-2/results 2014-01-23 dead He entered the final lap clear by nine minutes, but was tiring dramatically as the fatigue began to set in after his lengthy exploits off the front of the field. He lost almost five minutes in the first half of the final circuit, but Clarke steadied himself and still held a three-minute lead with 5 km 1 on to go. He held on to the end of the lap and ended up taking the first victory of his professional career,http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/18012012/2/cycling-clarke-claims-solo-win-tour-under-stage.html Tour Down Under turns upside down on brilliant day for UniSA's Clarke 18 January 2012 24 January 2012 Yahoo! Eurosport TF1 Group Reuters and honours for most combative rider of the day. The main pack was led over the line by RAB 2012 yes rider Michael Matthews but 62 seconds in arrears, while GEC 2012a yes's Simon Gerrans completed a 1–2–3 for Australian riders on the day, just ahead of Alejandro Valverde (MOV 2012). Kohler managed to finish within the pack to take his first race leader's jersey, while Clarke became the leader in the sprints and mountains classifications, and Matthews moved into the black jersey for youth leader in third place overall.http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=19700 2012 Santos Tour Down Under – Stage 2 Results 18 January 2012 24 January 2012 Daily Peloton.com Daily Peloton https://archive.today/20120731075030/http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=19700 31 July 2012 dead dmy-all Stage 2 Result RiderTeamTime 1 Will Clarke AUS UniSA-Australia 3h 58' 35" 2 Michael Matthews AUS RAB 2012 + 1' 02" 3 Simon Gerrans AUS GEC 2012a + 1' 02" 4 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2012 + 1' 02" 5 Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR SKY 2012 + 1' 02" 6 Óscar Freire ESP KAT 2012 + 1' 02" 7 Greg Van Avermaet BEL BMC 2012 + 1' 02" 8 Luke Roberts AUS SAX 2012a + 1' 02" 9 Gerald Ciolek GER OPQ 2012 + 1' 02" 10 Heinrich Haussler AUS GRM 2012a + 1' 02"General Classification after Stage 2 RiderTeamTime 1 Martin Kohler SUI 20px BMC 2012 8h 33' 05" 2 André Greipel GER LTB 2012 + 2" 3 Michael Matthews AUS 20px RAB 2012 + 4" 4 Simon Gerrans AUS GEC 2012a + 8" 5 Rohan Dennis AUS UniSA-Australia + 9" 6 Eduard Vorganov RUS KAT 2012 + 10" 7 Xavier Florencio ESP KAT 2012 + 12" 8 Jonathan Cantwell AUS SAX 2012a + 12" 9 Jan Bakelants BEL RNT 2012 + 12" 10 Luke Roberts AUS SAX 2012a + 12" Stage 3 19 January 2012 — Unley to Victor Harbor, 134.5 km 1 onhttp://www.cyclingnews.com/races/14th-santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-3 Stage 3 Preview 14 June 2011 18 January 2012 Cycling News Future Publishing Limited https://web.archive.org/web/20111122025350/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/14th-santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-3 22 November 2011 dead dmy-all thumb|The day's breakaway approaching the first intermediate sprint point of the stage, at Mount Compass. Thomas De Gendt leads Jan Bakelants, Eduard Vorganov and Matt Brammeier. Just like on stage one, a breakaway quartet – RNT 2012's Jan Bakelants, VCD 2012 rider Thomas De Gendt, Matt Brammeier of OPQ 2012 and KAT 2012's Eduard Vorganov – advanced clear of the main field, and managed to extend their advantage to a maximum of around five-and-a-half minutes at one point during the stage, far less than what the pack gave away to Will Clarke the previous day.http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=19705 2012 Santos Tour Down Under – Stage 3 19 January 2012 24 January 2012 Daily Peloton.com Daily Peloton https://archive.today/20130121075331/http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=19705 21 January 2013 dead dmy-all De Gendt earned maximum points during the stage, as he crossed the single categorised climb at Sellicks Hill ahead of his companions, and also crossed the line first at both of the intermediate sprints, gaining six seconds towards the general classification. Brammeier tried to break clear after their advantage was hurriedly reduced, but the field were back as a whole, with 40 km 1 on remaining.https://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycling/story/2012-01-19/third-stage-tour-down-under/52675082/1 Andre Greipel wins stage, leads Tour Down Under USA Today David Hunke; Gannett Company 19 January 2012 24 January 2012 Associated Press With the field back together, several teams took turns on the front of the main field in order to try and break riders from the comfort of the peloton. RAB 2012, BMC 2012 and GEC 2012a did most of the work on the front as they pushed speeds to around 55 km/h 0 on,http://www.greenedgecycling.com/node/228 Robbie McEwen Sprints to Fifth in Victor Harbor; Simon Gerrans Fifth Overall 19 January 2012 24 January 2012 GEC 2012a GreenEDGE Cycling TeamApril 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes prior to the finish in Victor Harbor. With all mini-attacks closed down in the closing stages, it was left to another bunch sprint for the bonus seconds on offer at the line to the top three finishers. RAB 2012 yes had looked to set up Michael Matthews for victory and a potential ochre jersey, but could not find clear space to attack, and it was left to Mark Renshaw to lead out the sprint to the line. However, André Greipel (LTB 2012) came around him in the final metres, and thus picked up his second stage win of the week, and his tenth career victory at the Tour Down Under; with the bonus seconds, it allowed him to retake the ochre jersey from Martin Kohler (BMC 2012 yes).http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-3/results Jane Aubrey Greipel closes in on Tour Down Under record with Victor Harbour win 19 January 2012 24 January 2012 Cycling News Future Publishing Limited https://web.archive.org/web/20140125080656/http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-3/results 2014-01-25 dead Yauheni Hutarovich finished second for FDJ 2012, while SKY 2012 rider Edvald Boasson Hagen finished a bike length behind in third place, ahead of Renshaw. Greipel also regained the lead of the sprints classification, Matthews maintained the lead of the youth classification, and De Gendt took both the mountains jersey and the most combative rider honours for the stage. Stage 3 Result RiderTeamTime 1 André Greipel GER LTB 2012 3h 21' 55" 2 Yauheni Hutarovich BLR FDJ 2012 s.t. 3 Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR SKY 2012 s.t. 4 Mark Renshaw AUS RAB 2012 s.t. 5 Robbie McEwen AUS GEC 2012a s.t. 6 Jacopo Guarnieri ITA AST 2012 s.t. 7 Heinrich Haussler AUS GRM 2012a s.t. 8 Daniele Bennati ITA RNT 2012 s.t. 9 Manuel Belletti ITA ALM 2012 s.t. 10 Christopher Sutton AUS SKY 2012 s.t.General Classification after Stage 3 RiderTeamTime 1 André Greipel GER 20px20px LTB 2012 11h 54' 52" 2 Martin Kohler SUI BMC 2012 + 8" 3 Michael Matthews AUS 20px RAB 2012 + 12" 4 Thomas De Gendt BEL 20px20px VCD 2012 + 14" 5 Simon Gerrans AUS GEC 2012a + 16" 6 Jan Bakelants BEL RNT 2012 + 16" 7 Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR SKY 2012 + 16" 8 Eduard Vorganov RUS KAT 2012 + 16" 9 Rohan Dennis AUS UniSA-Australia + 17" 10 Xavier Florencio ESP KAT 2012 + 20" Stage 4 20 January 2012 — Norwood to Tanunda, 130 km 1 onhttp://www.cyclingnews.com/races/14th-santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-4 Stage 4 Preview 14 June 2011 18 January 2012 Cycling News Future Publishing Limited https://web.archive.org/web/20120115152214/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/14th-santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-4 15 January 2012 dead dmy-all thumb|Óscar Freire, pictured before stage 2, achieved his first victory for KAT 2012, after moving from RAB 2011 over the off-season. Mini-attacks set the course for the early running of the stage as the field remained as one prior to the first intermediate sprint of the day, coming after 25.3 km 1 on, in the town of Kersbrook.http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/santos-tour-down-under-stage-4-preview/50 Santos Tour Down Under Stage 4 Preview OPQ 2012 Decolef 19 January 2012 25 January 2012 https://archive.today/20120905055612/http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/santos-tour-down-under-stage-4-preview/50 5 September 2012 dead dmy-all Ochre jersey wearer André Greipel, of LTB 2012, reached the line first, to extend his virtual lead in the general classification to eleven seconds, while RAB 2012's Michael Matthews inched closer to second-placed Martin Kohler (BMC 2012), by placing second at the sprint.http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-4/results Jane Aubrey Freire back in the winner's circle with Tour Down Under victory 20 January 2012 25 January 2012 Cycling News Future Publishing Limited dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120121210053/http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-4/results 21 January 2012 It was not until after the intermediate sprint that the stage's primary breakaway had been formed. Three riders – UniSA-Australia's Jay McCarthy, Rubén Pérez of EUS 2012 and KAT 2012's Gatis Smukulis – originally managed to breach the confines of the field, and were later joined by a fourth rider, ALM 2012's Blel Kadri to maintain their bid of extending an advantage over the bunch. Their advantage rarely threatened the main field however, as the peak gap that the four riders out front had, was just over four minutes. Smukulis quickly dropped back and left his three companions to make the pace out front.http://www.tourdownunder.com.au/freire-flashes-home-in-tanunda.htm Freire flashes home in Tanunda Tour Down Under Events South Australia 20 January 2012 25 January 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120121180311/http://www.tourdownunder.com.au/freire-flashes-home-in-tanunda.htm 21 January 2012 dead dmy-all GEC 2012a provided the pace in the peloton, and with that speed, it allowed the field to catch the trio out front with around 30 km 1 on left to run of the parcours, and prior to the final climb of the day at Mengler Hill. With GEC 2012a yes and MOV 2012 still pressurising the field as they were on the climb itself, many riders became dislodged at the back of the peloton due to their nature of the attack. Among those that fell from the comfort zone were race leader Greipel and VCD 2012's Thomas De Gendt,http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/simon-gerrans-in-perfect-position-to-win-the-tour-down-under/story-e6frfglf-1226249910284 Simon Gerrans in perfect position to win the Tour Down Under Herald Sun The Herald and Weekly Times Reece Homfray 21 January 2012 25 January 2012 who had been in fourth place overall prior to the stage; GEC 2012a yes sporting director Matt White later stated that their aim for the stage was to remove Greipel from the race equation. UniSA-Australia rider Rohan Dennis led over the hill, to take the 16 points on offer for first place, while Greipel lost more than seven minutes by stage's end.https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/a-third-tour-down-under-appears-beyond-andre-greipel/news-story/73af2944a485480369fc08dbcf617617 A third Tour Down Under appears beyond Andre Greipel The Australian News Limited Peter Kogoy 20 January 2012 2012-01-21 https://web.archive.org/web/20120121133315/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/a-third-tour-down-under-appears-beyond-andre-greipel/story-e6frg7mf-1226249627817 subscription live 25 January 2012 Just 48 riders of the 131 who started the stage remained as one to contest the finish in Tanunda.http://www.katushateam.com/2012/eng/main.php?mod=news&n=1196 Freire brings to Katusha the first victory of 2012 KAT 2012 Katusha Management SA 20 January 2012 25 January 2012 At the finish, it was KAT 2012 that featured most prominently, and after a four-man leadout, it was Óscar Freire who advanced down the left-hand side of the road in the closing stages, and gained KAT 2012 yes their first win of the season, and his first since the 2011 Ruta del Sol for RAB 2011. Gerald Ciolek finished second on the stage for OPQ 2012, which like Freire, moved him into the top five of the overall classification, which was led once again by Kohler after he was part of the 48 riders that were in contention. Daniele Bennati finished third for RNT 2012, and the bonus seconds he earned also advanced his position, into sixth overall. After finishing just behind Bennati, SKY 2012's Edvald Boasson Hagen replaced Greipel as leader of the sprints classification, Matthews held the lead of the youth classification once again, Dennis earned the mountains jersey after earning maximum points on the final climb and Kadri was named most combative rider for the stage. Stage 4 Result RiderTeamTime 1 Óscar Freire ESP KAT 2012 3h 08' 34" 2 Gerald Ciolek GER OPQ 2012 s.t. 3 Daniele Bennati ITA RNT 2012 s.t. 4 Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR SKY 2012 s.t. 5 Michael Matthews AUS 20px RAB 2012 s.t. 6 José Joaquín Rojas ESP MOV 2012 s.t. 7 Luke Roberts AUS SAX 2012a s.t. 8 Kristijan Koren SLO LIQ 2012 s.t. 9 Sergey Lagutin UZB VCD 2012 s.t. 10 Heinrich Haussler AUS GRM 2012a s.t.General Classification after Stage 4 RiderTeamTime 1 Martin Kohler SUI 20px BMC 2012 15h 03' 34" 2 Michael Matthews AUS 20px RAB 2012 + 2" 3 Óscar Freire ESP KAT 2012 + 2" 4 Gerald Ciolek GER OPQ 2012 + 6" 5 Simon Gerrans AUS GEC 2012a + 8" 6 Daniele Bennati ITA RNT 2012 + 8" 7 Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR 20px SKY 2012 + 8" 8 Jan Bakelants BEL RNT 2012 + 8" 9 Eduard Vorganov RUS KAT 2012 + 8" 10 Rohan Dennis AUS 20px UniSA-Australia + 9" Stage 5 21 January 2012 — McLaren Vale to Old Willunga Hill, 151.5 km 1 onhttp://www.cyclingnews.com/races/14th-santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-5 Stage 5 Preview 14 June 2011 18 January 2012 Cycling News Future Publishing Limited https://web.archive.org/web/20120116130531/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/14th-santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-5 16 January 2012 dead dmy-all The race's queen stage had an added twist for its 2012 running, with the implementation of Old Willunga Hill – a 3 km 1 on climb at an average gradient of 7.6%http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/blazin-saddles/saddles-down-under-140132908.html Saddles Down Under 13 January 2012 25 January 2012 Yahoo! Eurosport TF1 Group – as a summit finish for the first time.http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/climbs-tp-toughen-tour-down-under/story-fn8sc2wz-1226074240419 https://web.archive.org/web/20131105002814/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/climbs-tp-toughen-tour-down-under/story-fn8sc2wz-1226074240419 dead 5 November 2013 Climbs to toughen Tour Down Under The Australian News Limited Peter Kogoy 13 June 2011 25 January 2012 Again like the previous day, much of the early running of the stage was resorted to mini-attacks prior to the formation of the day's breakaway. The stage saw a breakaway of six riders, as they quickly went clear of the main field; home riders Stuart O'Grady (GEC 2012a) and Nathan Haas (GRM 2012a) were joined by SAX 2012a's Takashi Miyazawa, OPQ 2012 rider Andrew Fenn, Kristof Goddaert of ALM 2012, and the highest-placed rider of the six, VCD 2012's Thomas De Gendt.http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-5/results Alex Hinds Comeback complete for Valverde as Spaniard out sprints Gerrans on Willunga 21 January 2012 25 January 2012 Cycling News Future Publishing Limited dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120125200455/http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-5/results 25 January 2012 Their peak advantage of eight minutes over the peloton just about covered themselves in the case that they managed to hold their advantage to the end, as De Gendt trailed Martin Kohler, the race leader for the BMC 2012, by 7' 51" overnight. With strong cross-winds during the stages, several teams – mainly BMC 2012 yes, LTB 2012 and RNT 2012 – looked to create a split in the field via an echelon, which was ultimately successful as the increased pace managed to shed some thirty riders from the back of the peloton, including LAM 2012's Matthew Lloyd for a short period of time; also reduced was the advantage to the sextet out front, cutting their gap from over eight minutes down to the three-minute mark. Goddaert dropped away from the front prior to the first climb of Old Willunga Hill, where Haas attacked and achieved maximum points for the climb; from there, he continued his pace onto the descent.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/haas-finds-only-positives-in-willunga-escape Haas finds only positives in Willunga escape Jane Aubrey Cycling News Future Publishing Limited 21 January 2012 25 January 2012 He was chased by De Gendt, whereas O'Grady dropped back in order to help with his team's challenge in the expectation of putting one of their riders into the ochre jersey. Third over the line was Rohan Dennis for UniSA-Australia, to maintain his lead in the mountains classification ahead of De Gendt.http://www.unisa.edu.au/tdu/news/2012/20120121-stage5.asp Dennis stars again at Willunga Team UniSA University of South Australia 21 January 2012 25 January 2012 https://archive.today/20120805201233/http://www.unisa.edu.au/tdu/news/2012/20120121-stage5.asp 5 August 2012 dead dmy-all Haas was caught prior to the second and final climb of Old Willunga Hill; he was caught with around 10 km 1 on remaining of the stage by a far reduced lead group. MOV 2012, SKY 2012 and RNT 2012 yes featured prominently in the lead group with several riders from each team looking for a potential stage win and with many riders within a number of seconds of the overall leader, the chance of taking the leader's ochre jersey into the final criterium stage in Adelaide. One rider from each of the prominent teams joined Dennis in a quick break at the foot of the climb, however it was left to Dennis and Tiago Machado (RNT 2012 yes) to set the pace ahead of the quickly closing peloton.http://www.radioshacknissantrek.com/news/machado-makes-his-move-team-impressive Machado Makes his Move – Team Impressive 21 January 2012 25 January 2012 RNT 2012 Leopard S.A. https://web.archive.org/web/20120521211816/http://www.radioshacknissantrek.com/news/machado-makes-his-move-team-impressive 21 May 2012 dead dmy-all They were caught in the closing stages, which prompted Michael Rogers to launch an attack for SKY 2012 yes, but was quickly usurped by MOV 2012 yes's Alejandro Valverde, in his first race back from a doping ban, and the recently crowned national champion of Australia, GEC 2012a yes's Simon Gerrans. Valverde and Gerrans contested a two-man sprint for the line which Valverde narrowly won,http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/climbs-tp-toughen-tour-down-under/story-fn8sc2wz-1226074240419 https://web.archive.org/web/20131105002814/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/climbs-tp-toughen-tour-down-under/story-fn8sc2wz-1226074240419 dead 5 November 2013 Valverde-Gerrans duel on the hill sets up Tour finale The Australian News Limited Peter Kogoy 21 January 2012 25 January 2012 but Gerrans' second-place finish allowed him to take the ochre jersey ahead of Valverde; both riders were on the same time, but due to better cumulative stage finishes, Gerrans took the jersey. Machado finished third ahead of Rogers and Dennis, with the three riders also in that order, taking third, fourth and fifth places in the overall standings and within fifteen seconds of Gerrans' lead. Edvald Boasson Hagen maintained his lead for SKY 2012 yes in the sprints classification after finishing sixth on the stage, Dennis added the youth classification lead to his lead of the mountains classification, and O'Grady was named most combative rider of the day. Stage 5 Result RiderTeamTime 1 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2012 3h 45' 48" 2 Simon Gerrans AUS GEC 2012a s.t. 3 Tiago Machado POR RNT 2012 + 2" 4 Michael Rogers AUS SKY 2012 + 4" 5 Rohan Dennis AUS 20px UniSA-Australia + 7" 6 Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR 20px SKY 2012 + 12" 7 Javier Moreno ESP MOV 2012 + 13" 8 Jan Bakelants BEL RNT 2012 + 13" 9 Jack Bauer NZL GRM 2012a + 26" 10 Eduard Vorganov RUS KAT 2012 + 26"General Classification after Stage 5 RiderTeamTime 1 Simon Gerrans AUS 20px GEC 2012a 18h 49' 24" 2 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2012 + 0" 3 Tiago Machado POR RNT 2012 + 8" 4 Michael Rogers AUS SKY 2012 + 14" 5 Rohan Dennis AUS 20px20px UniSA-Australia + 14" 6 Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR 20px SKY 2012 + 18" 7 Jan Bakelants BEL RNT 2012 + 19" 8 Javier Moreno ESP MOV 2012 + 23" 9 Michael Matthews AUS RAB 2012 + 29" 10 Eduard Vorganov RUS KAT 2012 + 32" Stage 6 22 January 2012 — Adelaide (criterium), 90 km 1 onhttp://www.cyclingnews.com/races/14th-santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-6 Stage 6 Preview 12 January 2012 18 January 2012 Cycling News Future Publishing Limited https://web.archive.org/web/20150919175223/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/14th-santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-6/ 19 September 2015 dead dmy-all thumb|Jan Bakelants was the only rider inside the top ten placings to gain time on the final stage; his bonus seconds earned at the second intermediate sprint allowed him to move up to sixth place overall. The race finished with its now-customary criterium race around the streets of Adelaide; for the 90 km 1 on distance, a circuit of 4.5 km 1 on was completed twenty times with several passages through the finish line counting towards the sub-classifications for sprints and the mountains. Sixteen riders representing thirteen teams managed to get slightly clear of the rest of the field, but their advantage never cleared a minute, and the field was back together just after the first of the intermediate sprints. Prior to the second intermediate sprint, Jan Bakelants of RNT 2012 attacked in the hope of gaining bonus seconds to allow him to move past SKY 2012 rider Edvald Boasson Hagen for sixth place overall, and went through the sprint first to pick up the three bonus seconds on offer. Bakelants was later joined by defending race winner Cameron Meyer of the GEC 2012a team and Romain Sicard (EUS 2012) to form the second mini-breakaway of the stage.http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/01/22/simon-gerrans-clinches-tour-down-under-for-greenedge/ Chad Bennett Simon Gerrans clinches Tour Down Under for GreenEDGE 22 January 2012 25 January 2012 The Roar The Roar Sports Media Pty Ltd. The trio managed to get clear by a similar distance to what the opening breakaway had achieved – around 40 seconds – and for a time, it allowed Bakelants to be the virtual leader of the race, as he trailed race leader Simon Gerrans – Meyer's team-mate – by just 16 seconds on the road. Ultimately, the sprinters' teams managed to assert themselves on the front of the peloton, with LAM 2012, LIQ 2012 and LTB 2012 forcing the cause most prominently. Bakelants' bid for victory ended with a lap and a half to go, and was joined by Sicard in that aspect. Meyer tried to go all-out in search of victory, and went into the final lap with an advantage over the closing field. Half a lap later, he was caught and that set up a full-field sprint to close the event. As they had done twice before in the week, it was LTB 2012 yes playing their hand best, as André Greipel was released to a third stage victory and an eleventh career win in the Tour Down Under, putting him one shy of the record held by Robbie McEwen.http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/gerrans-wins-tour-down-under-20120122-1qbx0.html Roger Vaughan Gerrans wins Tour Down Under 22 January 2012 25 January 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Australian Associated Press Second place went to RAB 2012's Mark Renshaw, and third to LAM 2012 yes rider Alessandro Petacchi.http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-6/results Alex Hinds Gerrans crowned Tour Down Under champion in Adelaide 22 January 2012 25 January 2012 Cycling News Future Publishing Limited dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120123113125/http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-6/results 23 January 2012 There was no change in the top five overall, which meant that Gerrans secured the overall title for the second time, after previously winning the race in 2006 for ALM 2006; it also allowed GEC 2012a yes to claim victory in its first World Tour event. Sixth place on the final stage was enough for Boasson Hagen to claim the sprints classification; despite not winning any stages,http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,24270_7447817,00.html Strong result Down Under 22 January 2012 25 January 2012 SKY 2012 BSkyB Boasson Hagen's consistent finishing across the entire week allowed him to accumulate points from all positions, whereas Greipel's three stage wins were rarely backed up by other high finishes. Dennis held the lead of the youth classification, and also kept a hold of the mountains classification lead as Thomas De Gendt (VCD 2012) and Gerrans failed to take any points on offer for the stage, and both fell five points shy of Dennis' total.http://www.unisa.edu.au/tdu/news/2012/20120122-stage6.asp Team support takes Dennis to the summit Team UniSA University of South Australia 22 January 2012 25 January 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120126120713/http://www.unisa.edu.au/tdu/news/2012/20120122-stage6.asp 26 January 2012 dead dmy-all Bakelants claimed the final most combative rider of the stage award, as he managed to move into sixth place overall thanks to bonus time won on the stage. Stage 6 Result RiderTeamTime 1 André Greipel GER LOT 2012 1h 56' 48" 2 Mark Renshaw AUS RAB 2012 s.t. 3 Alessandro Petacchi ITA LAM 2012 s.t. 4 Yauheni Hutarovich BLR FDJ 2012 s.t. 5 José Joaquín Rojas ESP MOV 2012 s.t. 6 Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR 20px SKY 2012 s.t. 7 Romain Feillu FRA VAC 2012 s.t. 8 Jonathan Cantwell AUS SAX 2012a s.t. 9 Fabio Sabatini ITA LIQ 2012 s.t. 10 Manuel Belletti ITA ALM 2012 s.t.Final General Classification RiderTeamTime 1 Simon Gerrans AUS 20px GEC 2012a 20h 46' 12" 2 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2012 + 0" 3 Tiago Machado POR RNT 2012 + 8" 4 Michael Rogers AUS SKY 2012 + 14" 5 Rohan Dennis AUS 20px20px UniSA-Australia + 14" 6 Jan Bakelants BEL RNT 2012 + 16" 7 Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR 20px SKY 2012 + 18" 8 Javier Moreno ESP MOV 2012 + 23" 9 Michael Matthews AUS RAB 2012 + 29" 10 Eduard Vorganov RUS KAT 2012 + 32" Classification leadership table In the 2012 Tour Down Under, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, the leader received an ochre jersey.Tour Down Under 2012: Cycling Weekly's coverage index 18 January 2012 http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/531273/tour-down-under-2012-cycling-weekly-s-coverage-index.html Nigel Wynn Cycling Weekly IPC Media 29 December 2013 This classification was considered the most important of the 2012 Tour Down Under, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race. Additionally, there was a sprints classification, which awarded a blue jersey. In the sprints classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 15 in a stage. For winning a stage, a rider earned 15 points, with one point fewer per place down to a single point for 15th place. Points towards the classification could also be accrued at intermediate sprint points during each stage; these intermediate sprints also offered bonus seconds towards the general classification. There was also a mountains classification, the leadership of which was marked by a white jersey. In the mountains classification, points were won by reaching the top of a climb before other cyclists, with more points available for the higher-categorised climbs. The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification, marked by a black jersey. This was decided in the same way as the general classification, but only riders born after 1 January 1986 were eligible to be ranked in the classification. There was also a classification for teams, in which the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added together; the leading team at the end of the race was the team with the lowest total time, and each member of the winning team received a light blue jersey on the final podium.http://www.radioshackleopardtrek.com/gallery/podium-best-team-tour-down-under Podium Best Team Tour Down Under RNT 2012 Leopard SA 22 January 2012 29 December 2013 Additionally, a red jersey was awarded on the podium each day, for the most aggressive rider, or riders, of that day's stage. Stage WinnerGeneral Classification25px|link=|alt=Mountains Classification25px|link=|alt=Sprint Classification25px|link=|alt=Young Rider Classification25px|link=|alt=Team Classification25px|link=|alt=Aggressive Rider25px|link=|alt= 1 André Greipel André Greipel Marcello Pavarin André Greipel Rohan Dennis SKY 2012 Eduard Vorganov 2 Will Clarke Martin Kohler Will Clarke Will Clarke Michael Matthews UniSA-Australia Will Clarke 3 André Greipel André Greipel Thomas De Gendt André Greipel Thomas De Gendt 4 Óscar Freire Martin Kohler Rohan Dennis Edvald Boasson Hagen SKY 2012 Blel Kadri 5 Alejandro Valverde Simon Gerrans Rohan Dennis RNT 2012 Stuart O'Grady 6 André GreipelSimon Gerrans Final Simon Gerrans Rohan Dennis Edvald Boasson Hagen Rohan Dennis RNT 2012 not awarded References 30em External links http://tourdownunder.com.au/ Category:Tour Down Under Tour Down Under Tour Down Under Category:2012 in Oceanian sport Tour